Saturday, July 02, 2005

City Councilor Not-to-Be

Perennial Boston-City-Councilor-Not Roy Owens managed to stand out among 15 candidates running for four at-large positions. June 23rd, they spoke at a forum organized by the Democratic Committees. Owens got himself hissed off the microphone with his anti-same-sex marriage, out-of-nowhere rap.

Ironically, Owens has done good community organizing, as well as forever losing his bid for the Council. At the forum, he basically threw a rock in the simmering campaign soup. The other candidates spoke of specifics on how they would fight or foster the bio lab, tone down youth violence, and bring economic aid to the poorer neighborhoods.

Then according to the South End News (Web site pending, but not yet), Owens squeezed the wheeze and played bozo when it came to speak. He said:

(H)e's running "because our children are suffering from an identity crisis." He cited teen pregnancy, gangs and gay marriage as problems in our society. "To be a heterosexual today is abnormal," he said. "We're calling on you to join us in the fight to save the children," he said. After speaking against the biolab, Owens responded to a man in the audience who said, "I object to your characterization that gay people don't have family values." Owens responded, "Would you consider homosexuality natural?" before he was hissed away from the podium.

How utterly bizarre that he could try to blame the year-old same-sex marriage for the decades old youth problems based in economics and culture.

Amusingly enough, he may find support for those views among the same group that supports the long-serving bigoted Councilor Jim Kelly. African-American Owens has had differences in many areas with Kelly, who plays well with white racists.

It will be a good measure of Boston's temper on same-sex marriage to see how badly Owens get tromped in the election.